A/N: I hath returned!

This is by far my favorite chapter.

You'll know why.

Also, I'm still here. Just got extremely busy with work again. Every now and then things slow down and I make progress with the chapter but then things get busy again. Then halfway through writing this chapter, my laptop updated and I lost about half of what I've already written… so… yeah… Anywho, I am planning to finish the fic, it's just taking time. It didn't help that this chapter has a lot of POVs. It's the Barden Tower resident shenanigans at best. I'll keep the POVs at minimum in the coming chapters to focus on the important beats.

I don't own pitch perfect.

Emily stood with a light smile on her face, holding a white placard with Mr. Andrea di Marzo's name by the arrivals section of the airport. She was dressed in an impressive black suit, complete with a fancy driver's cap.

Another batch of passengers had gone through the exit. Emily knew she got there early, wanting to impress Mr. di Marzo, but what she didn't factor in was the delays in her guests' flight. Emily was the patient type, so it didn't bother her so much, but she was getting tired of standing with perfect posture to look rather impressive in her role of "personal driver."

The flight ended up being delayed for nearly an hour. By that time, Emily was both tired and getting grumpy. She was considering making a quick trip for a snack somewhere when she saw a tall gorgeous woman walking her direction, quite a brunette bombshell, with sparkling green eyes. She was walking side by side with a rather slim and fit man in a tailored suit. He was mostly quiet and nodded along to what she was saying. If anything, he looked rather nervous. They spoke in Italian, Emily starting to pick up familiar words that she would hear Beca use from time to time, so she had guessed that the two must be Mr. di Marzo and Ms. Benign.

A guess that was confirmed when the bombshell Ms. Benign introduced the two of them. Emily promptly introduced herself as their driver, took their luggage from them, and led the way to their car – which was Lilly's car that Emily borrowed.

Once inside, Emily locked the door and buckled up, adjusted the rearview mirror, and smiled as she drove away.

This was all very thrilling.

A part of her tells her this was potentially kidnapping, but technically it was only for a few hours and she promised they would all show them a good time.

Hopefully, they manage to give Mr. di Marzo and Ms. Benign a night to remember.

"Really?" Beca said in an unimpressed tone making Chloe huff.

"What?" Chloe asked rather innocently. Beca's response was to simply look her up and down before giving Chloe a sympathetic look. "You're dressed casually," Chloe pointed out. Beca was wearing a chic grey sweater, the materials it was made from and the tag on in probably cost more than Chloe's whole ensemble. In her arms, neatly folded, hung a cream-colored blazer that paired well with her cream-colored pants. Chloe wasn't sure what they were made off but they both looked sleek, stylish, and comfortable. The shoes Chloe already knew were expensive. It was a brand she didn't know off, but the insignia had caught her attention – Loro Piana – and it was enough to prompt Chloe to look it up before. Beca kept the make-up and accessories simple, with her hair styled back. This was casual for Beca. Not undercover, regular street clothes casual. But her own personal level of casual, one that screamed affluence over anything else.

Chloe on the other hand was wearing her favorite black suite and skirt ensemble that she wore to court a few times now. "I look good in this," Chloe insisted.

"I know, but… Look, Chloe. We're replacing a man and a woman, one of whom had the audacity to book the entire gallery for a private affair for two, I think it's safe to assume it's a date. And if one of them is rich enough to make private art gallery dates a thing…" Beca started to explain.

"This really won't pass?" Chloe asked.

Beca looked at her wristwatch. "We still have time, and I know just the place, come on."

"Just the place for what?" Chloe had asked. But Beca didn't answer.

Instead, they found themselves in Beca's car, with Beca driving silently to some chic, invitation only type of boutique Chloe didn't even know existed. Beca had a light smile on her lips, looking a little proud of herself. When they got there, she had explained that she called ahead of time – so she already planned this from the start, Chloe thought to herself – before Chloe found herself whisked off into a dressing room to try out a few pre-selected outfits for her.

Chloe tried very hard not to chuckle, every time she had to march out and gauge Beca's reaction, "modelling" the outfits she had picked out for her.

Beca was fairly easy to read in that instance. Chloe knew she wasn't convinced every time she pressed her lips together and quirked an eyebrow, and so Chloe would march back and try the next one. Meanwhile Beca was busy looking at whatever was in the black velvety boxes brought out to her by the shop's attendants.

When Chloe stepped out with the third to the last of her pre-selected outfits on – a she knew she had found a lovely black dress with a black blazer that hugged around her figure just right – she knew she found the winner. Beca looked speechless for a minute before she motioned for one of the sales attendants to come back with a big black velvet box. Beca gingerly picked up the necklace inside. The chains were made of gold and attached to the intricate design of the pendant. Beca walked up behind Chloe and placed the necklace around her neck, careful not to touch Chloe directly. Chloe could pick up the scent of Beca's perfume, a delicate mix of floral scents. There was a softness to it that Chloe paired with the elegant yet soft casual style that Beca had for the night. Chloe couldn't help herself blush a little. It almost felt like this fake date was real.

A part of her wished it was.

Beca hummed her approval as soon as she clasped it close, proud of her own choices. The sales attendant walked up to Beca, the box still open. That's how Chloe saw the pair of earrings that matched the pendant of the necklace. Chloe's fingers briefly brushed against Beca's own as she reached for one of the earrings inside the box, sending electricity from where they momentarily touched racing through her veins, down her pulse, throughout her own being.

"Are you sure about this?" Chloe asked with a gulp, trying to squash the butterflies that were starting to wake in stir inside of her. "You're spending quite a lot for one 'date.' This might be too much."

Beca shook her head. "Not at all," she replied before looking away. She watched as Chloe put the earrings on herself. "They were made you," Beca then said rather awkwardly, turning around and walking on away before urging Chloe to follow her out.

This was bad, they have a mission to complete, but Chloe couldn't help but notice how they were both acting like teenagers

Still, a part of Chloe's mind was indulging in maybes and fantasies. Of how things would have been if she had met Beca in a different circumstance.

Beca briefly smiled and let Chloe put the earrings on by herself. Chloe kept looking back at her through the mirror but Beca's expression had become unreadable in that moment. She couldn't help but wonder if her – well, their – beloved consigliere shared the same thoughts as her.

They made their way to the gallery in comfortable silence, last minute make-over completed. Chloe indulged herself a bit more in dreaming up ways they could have met, how their lives would have been like, without Babel, without Chicago and DSM, and with her father still there with her. A better circumstance where the flower of romance could take it's time to bloom. She was finally taken out of her own reverie when she saw Flo and Ashley leaving the gallery along with the guests being escorted out just as Beca pulled up to the front. They were closing the whole place for the night after all.

Chloe took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Ready?" Beca asked with a playful smirk. "'Cause it's time for us to put on a show, darling."

Chloe chuckled. "Darling, really? I would have assumed you would have picked something more along the lines of baby or honey."

"That's not me," Beca retorted, cutting off her engine. "How about it, love? Or would you prefer amore mio?"

"Whatever is fine, sweetie," Chloe then replied, still shaking her head, giggling at Beca's attempts to solidify their fake identities and play the parts they needed to play. Beca opened her door and got out of the vehicle as she rushed towards Chloe's side to help her own.

And they say chivalry is dead, Chloe thought before dispelling the thought.

She needed to focus.

It was showtime.

Benji was ready for their guests' arrival, he even rolled out the dusty old red carpet. Where the actual red carpet came from was a mystery to all the residents, all they knew was it had always been in the storage room of the commercial spaces.

The terror-filled guests, that is Mr. di Marzo and Ms. Benign, did not want to get out of the car at first, what with the rather unfamiliar sights of the buildings that surrounded them. Whether they've ever been to the art gallery or this was their first time to supposedly visit it in person, it was clear that they were not in the right place.

Nevertheless, Benji opened the door and ushered them out while Emily proceeded to take their luggage from the trunk. Mr. di Marzo, in broken English and complete with an Italian accent, started offering them money as he stepped out of the car along with Ms. Benign.

Benji chuckled and shook his head in response. He placed a hand on their shoulders and apologized for the sudden change in their itinerary as he proceeded to usher them in with the rest of the plaza team welcoming them by the steps going up the commercial spaces.

Both Mr. di Marzo and Ms. Benign still looked scared for now, but Benji was confident they'll be able to change their opinions later on.

If only to ensure good publicity for their businesses in the tower.

Chloe walked hand in hand with Beca as the art gallery director, Charity Deuxnim, lead the way through the gallery. Chloe couldn't help but smile and feel impressed at the depth of Beca's knowledge about the art pieces they passed by.

"Oh, someone seems excited, but we'll save the tour for later," Charity said. "Please, follow me," she insisted, urging them along towards the heart of the gallery where there was a high glass ceiling up above them. A small round table was in the middle, with servers all waiting on the sides. Rose petals were strewn all over the ground while the entire hall was lines with bundles and bouquets of red roses in full bloom.

Chloe gave Beca an amused look. She felt bad about hijacking this rather romantic date for Mr. di Marzio and Ms. Benign, but a part of her couldn't help but wonder about a similar date with Beca being real. How would it go? Would she even pull out all of the rather cheesy stops?

Beca looked rather amused for a moment as well, briefly exchanging glances with Chloe before shyly looking away. Was she thinking of the same thing? Chloe wondered.

Beca cleared her throat. "I think we can skip over dinner for now, go straight into the main event," Beca suggested with a light smile.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," Charity replied, pressing her hands together with a clap before she excitedly went about the room, gesturing at the staff. "Right away, Ms. Di Marzio, right away," she then added with a wink and a sort of giddiness that made Chloe's heart skip a few beats.

Not that Charity was flirting with her or Beca, no.

It was the anticipation that suddenly filled the air that had her feeling nervous all of a sudden.

Charity started talking about the piece that was right in front of them, on display on the wall across where their table was set. We, Forever was the name of the piece, or so Chloe thought she heard Charity said as she gushed about how you can just feel the love pouring out from the painting.

The light set-up a few floor above all of a sudden focused on them. A string quartet entered playing a familiar piece whose title escaped Chloe's thoughts for the moment.

Charity rushed over to Beca handing her something. A flash of panic graced Beca's features but she managed to smooth it over and play along. She turned around to face Chloe, before looking at Charity with uncertainty, and then back at Chloe. Beca shifted her weight a bit from her stance, searching for words, as she was suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Oh, Chloe thought to herself, finally realizing what it was that was about to happen.

"Go on," Charity urged, mouthing the words at Beca.

Beca took a slow inhale of breath before turning to face Chloe again. She slowly released it before going down on one knee and opening the velvet black box to show a stunning 5 carat diamond ring inside.

Andrea di Marzio sure didn't spare any expense for a perfect proposal. Chloe almost felt a little too guilty for stealing this moment from him and his beloved.

Almost.

She was getting a little too amused for their recent shenanigan-based plot at toppling over Babel.

Here's hoping the lovely couple would one day understand that this was for the greater good.

"Camille Benign," Beca started. "Amore della mia vita, will you marry me?"

For her part, Chloe definitely played up the overwhelmed and excited fiancée. She had both hands cover her face with shock and surprise before excitedly saying "Yes," and urging Beca to put on the ring on her finger.

Beca obliged, struggling to suppress her chuckle at their antics.

She stood up, still looking amused.

And then, the crowd chimed in.

One can only guess what was expected of them now.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

"Um, I'm suddenly feeling a little shy," Beca gave as an excused as she nervously tried to get them to settle down.

And Chloe? She could feel her cheeks turn a bright red. She reasoned it was the heat from the spotlight cast on them, coming from every angle of the gallery.

The fluttering in her heart? Now that's just the nerves from the mission.

Definitely not from the thought of knowing how Beca's lips felt against hers.

No, definitely not that.

"Don't you love her?" she then heard Charity ask, prompting Chloe to look nervously at Beca, and what she found surprised her. Because standing right next to her, Beca Bella, the always cool, calm, and collected consigliere of an Italian mafia family, looked like she was caught off guard.

"Of course I do!" was Beca's instant reply, one that sounded a little to adamant, her voice almost cracking as she spoke. Chloe couldn't help but study the change in her demeanor. The confidence was gone, her usual air of bravado nowhere in sight. There was a visible gulp in her throat as Beca considered what do next, biting her lips briefly as she took a shaky breath.

The silence was deafening, the wait made the palpable tension in the air worse.

And for a split second, Chloe decided she was going to stop thinking.

Chloe grabbed Beca's hand and spun her around. She placed both her hands around Beca's neck and pulled her in. Their lips met, and for a moment Chloe forgot how to breathe.

All she could do was feel.

The thousand volts of electricity rushing through her veins, the vibrant colors of the fireworks she could see in her closed eyes as she felt Beca's lips move against hers, felt her hands rest against her waist before pulling her closer.

That's all she knew.

All she felt.

All she needed.

When they finally parted all they could do was stare in each other's eyes, no words shared or uttered. If Chloe would dare to admit what she saw in Beca's stormy blue eyes right then and there, she would say that it was love. Perhaps, probably, definitely.

They had to have gone and fallen head over heels in love with each other.

But that was only if Chloe dared to admit anything. She still didn't want to think much about the moment. She jus wanted to exist in it. Revel in it.

Until, that is, Charity finally disturbed the peace of the moment with her squealing. Suddenly Chloe was transported back into the gallery and was aware of the cheers and the applause. She didn't even realize there were still people in the room with them. They had simply all fallen away for that briefest of moments.

"Wow!" Charity exclaimed. "What a kiss! Now that's amore!"

Chloe smiled shyly, finally looking away from Beca, Charity's words echoing in her mind, and in her heart.

Amore.

Cynthia Rose beamed with pride after watching Mr. di Marzio and Ms. Benign's faces light up after tasting the pasta dish she prepared for them. It was rather simple, cacio e pepe, but she had been practicing the dish to meet Beca's standards. The cooking lessons have truly been paying off. Beca gave her seal of approval for it the night before, after all.

"I'm so glad we did this," she heard Ms. Benign say, making CR beam with pride.

They were in the dance studio. Cynthia Rose and Benji prepared a table for their guest ahead of their arrival and they set up the place with some simple but romantic décor. They included one candle – the only one they found in such short notice – that could fit an old fancy candle holder from Jessica and Ashley's pawnshop to help set the mood too.

The lights were dimmed, on their end but they kept a set of pin lights above where Denise performed an elegant dance routine to entertain the guests while they dined. Cynthia Rose couldn't help but smile as she watched Denise put on such a wonderful show. A quick glance at their guests and Cynthia Rose knew that they too were just as entranced.

Which was a good thing. The smile on CR's face turned into a smirk as she remembered the terrified look on their faces when they first arrived. Was CR worried they would get in trouble? Not at all. Beca took the lead, and all of Beca's plans seemed to work out in the end.

It's hard to imagine any of this happening before. Things going their way, Cynthia Rose actually whipping up something she was proud of, Denise having the chance to show off her talent… even the simple fact that Barden Tower was getting the chance to show its worth and its potential without the need for business conglomerates tearing apart their humble community and building a new shiny, pretentious tower in its stead.

Here's to hoping Beca and Chloe's mission goes just as smoothly.

Bumper sat a little too stiffly in his seat in the nondescript white van he, Stacie, and Uni were all in for the mission. Stacie needed to be close enough to hack into the highly protected encrypted data stored at the gallery. Uni was there to recognize the files they needed to make a copy of. And Bumper was there as their driver and security. He popped a coffee candy in his mouth, not wanting to make a mess in the van with an actual cup of coffee in case trouble pops up, or worse, accidentally spill the boiling hot drink on himself.

"Want some?" he offered to his companions.

"Sure," the two of them replied rather monotonously.

Bumper was scrambling for a joke to break the ice with while he was handing the two their own coffee candies. The tension in the van was unbearable. Not because of the mission, but because of their own interpersonal err… relationships, he supposed.

Uni has been excessively flirting with Aubrey Posen as of late – to no avail, since Aubrey was all business around them – and Stacie has been getting more and more annoyed with them because of it because… well, Bumper wasn't sure what their relationship was exactly but he was pretty sure she was *boink*-ing Aubrey Posen.

"So, uh, why do you think it's taking so long? They still haven't put their earpieces in?" Bumper decided to ask instead of cracking a joke.

"Beca's probably still charming their way into the office," Stacie replied. "After all, it takes a certain amount of charisma and talent to flirt, charm, and influence other people. Overtly obvious attempts can only get you so far."

"Uh, sure, yeah," Bumper replied, not entirely certain if Stacie's reply was meant to be about Beca and Chloe's mission, or Uni's attempts at wooing Aubrey.

"Well, sometimes, the direct approach works best and fastest," Uni replied confidently.

"Only if your target doesn't have any standards. Besides, what's life without foreplay? A bit of build-up to the main events?" Stacie then said, starting a seemingly endless antagonistic exchange between the two. They weren't exactly yelling at each other, but the jabs were not at all subtle, and the iciness of their remarks were hard to ignore.

Bumper sighed, maybe he should have kept his mouth shut after all.

Amy was touched to have been asked to be part of a momentous occasion.

The ring had been sent ahead of time to the gallery, so Mr. di Marzio had to make do with a pop ring for his planned proposal. Things didn't exactly go as planned, now that Amy realized the art gallery would have been the correct setting, but Ms. Benign didn't mind, and found the location and humble festivities at the Barden Tower to be more endearing.

Amy blessed the proposal by chanting a prayer over the couple, completely filled with joy for them.

But she couldn't help but feel something nagging on her consciousness deep down.

Something about Chloe and Beca replacing the two at the art gallery.

Whatever it was, she hoped, everything was going well for them.

Flo stood outside the entrance of the art gallery with Ashley with her. Although technically, they were pretending to not know each other. Right now, Flo was pretending to be a sophisticated heiress, dressed in a tightfitting velvety red dress, the seams lined with – fake – fur she was trying to remember Stacie's crash course lessons in seduction as she shot a wink at one of the five security guards trying to insist they leave on account of a private event for the art gallery.

"Please sir," Flo said, in a rather husky yet almost breathless voice. "I need to speak with the director. It will only be a minute," she went on to say before walking towards one of them and playing with their neck ties. "You see, I'm afraid a left something in there, something rather intimate."

The security personnel turned a deep shade of red before turning to one of his colleagues who, in turn, looked uncertain himself.

Meanwhile the other three were all focused in containing an outraged Ashley.

Ashley was dressed up rather a bit eccentric. She claimed it was to elevate her performance as an out-of-touch-from-reality spoiled artists who never truly faced diversity and got critical acclaim for her work thanks to daddy dearest. It was quite specific but Flo chucked it up to Ashley just getting into this whole infiltration mission thing.

They've never really done these kinds of things before until Beca came into their lives. And what can she say, the antics may be crazy, but they sure was hell fun.

Ashley's eyes were blazing as she cried out for the director, wanting to speak with them, claiming that one of her prized works were plagiarized by some artist whose work was displayed in the gallery. She even went on ahead and claimed that she already called the police so they shouldn't even bother, and they would be coming any minute now.

Well, more like the "police."

Namely Jessica, her wife, who was already waiting for her cue.

"Don't you know who my father is?! He will make that lousy artist pay! And this art gallery for promoting the work they plagiarized off of me!" Ashley then yelled, she was bringing up her hysterical antics to the next level.

Flo doubled down their antics, still carrying herself like a socialite, insisting she will not leave until she speaks with the director.

Beca trusted them with a task after all, and with everything she's done for them, it was only fair to give it their all.

Beca's heart was thrumming, ready to leap out of her ribcage at any time. It took all her effort to focus on the mission. Something easier said than done with her head still spinning and all.

Because how could it not spin?

Kissing Chloe Beale was never in her plans. She didn't want to know how her lips felt, or how she could make Beca's heart throb the way it did. It would have been easier that way

Easier to never know what she would be missing.

Her life, after all was far from simple. It was drenched in blood, and plot, and vengeance. It wasn't one made for love.

A villain like her was never supposed to know what it was like, or even understand the word.

Yet here she was.

In another lifetime perhaps.

Beca was broken out of her reverie by Charity encouraging the two to take a seat and enjoy their dinner but Beca shook her head. She turned to Chloe, whose cheeks were still flushed just as red as Beca felt hers was, and cleared her throat. "Darling, would you like to see some pieces before dinner?" Beca managed to ask with her voice mostly intact, as if the kiss she shared with Chloe didn't leave her flustered and shaken to her core. As if they've done this sort of thing before.

"That's a brilliant idea, sweetheart," Chloe replied before she turned her attention to Charity expectantly.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," was Charity's eager reply. After all, this was her chance to sell some of the gallery's most prized pieces, and make a lot of money.

Charity took them on a tour, pointing to pieces left and right, ones that Beca knew would fetch top-dollar. She went into great detail about pieces she very obviously wanted them to buy. Beca did her best to focus on her words, repeating to herself why they were there, focusing on an opening to ask about the piece Nothing. Chloe for her part clung onto Beca's arm and started telling Beca she wanted to buy every single piece that Charity pointed out to them. Beca nodded along, making Charity feel a sense of accomplishment.

But Beca didn't find an opening.

If she were being honest, she was still very much distracted by what had happened with Chloe.

But she wasn't being honest, so she chalked it up to being too engrossed in the art and Charity making it difficult for her to ask.

Once the tour was about to end, and they circled back to where the dining table was set up, Chloe took the lead and the opportunity to ask about Nothing. Afterall, that was their gateway to entering the director's office.

"Oh, but that's not for sale," Charity replied. "And not available for the public to see."

"I would be satisfied with just seeing it," was Chloe's adamant reply. "I've heard many things about the piece and the mystery surrounding it, and I'm quite intrigued. Wouldn't you say you were curious too, honey?"

"Oh, yes, yes dear," Beca then replied, marveling at how quickly Chloe seemed to have recovered from earlier.

"I do hope you can indulge us. I've heard you only have the finest pieces, and seeing is believing of course. If your gallery truly housed a priceless piece like Nothing then I have no worries that what we're buying is the best of the best. The finest paintings from the art world. Besides, I wouldn't want to buy from a gallery that seems like it's trying to hide something," Chloe then added. She was really selling it to Charity.

Charity considered her options for a moment, before turning to Beca once more, a rather adorable pout on her lips. "Maybe we can just go to that other place in Paris? Let's buy pieces there instead. This was nice, but I don't think this gallery is for us."

Beca had to hand it to her, Chloe knew how to put the pressure on and get people to do what she wanted. Charity crumbled at the thought of her not making a sale.

"Oh, alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. The piece is actually in my office, come with me."

Beca shot Chloe an impressed look before they followed Charity. The sudden turn of events had managed to draw her attention completely back to their mission, at least for now. She kept a keen eye on things, quickly scanning the room as she entered.

The director's office was spacious. The door behind them automatically locked as soon as they stepped inside, and the only windows in the office was a narrow line high above the walls, near the ceiling. No human could fit through it at all. It didn't even look like they could be opened. It almost felt like they stepped into a vault.

In the middle of the room was a marron rug, a triangular glass coffee table in the middle with four white chairs arranged around it. Behind one of the armchairs was a rather intricate crystal piece, arranged from floor up, with crystalline dew drops arching over, looking like tree branches. To the back, in the middle, was an impressive mahogany desk, the director's table. To the left were a few bookcases, and a small circular high table with two bar stools. Behind them was an array of coffee and tea bags, coffee mugs, and a brewing machine. To the right was a small desk with files on it. File cabinets surrounded that desk. That must have been the accountant's desk, their target.

Now all they needed to do is buy time until the rest of their plan unfolds, and the director leaves them alone.

Thankfully, Chloe was on that too. Walking straight to the crystal piece and admiring it. Having been the only thing of note that could be remotely called art, she had assumed it was Nothing.

"Oh, wow, I… This is just beautiful. I am truly at awe," Chloe started to say.

And Beca was about to follow suit before Charity flipped a switch and each crystalline dew drop had a light turned on inside. "Um, Ms. Benign, that is a lamp."

Beca laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, you really do have a great sense of humor," she said in between genuine chuckles. Chloe looked embarrassed for a minute but then jumped in, as if she was in on the joke.

"Oh, you know me, I just couldn't resist," Chloe then replied.

Charity seemed to have bought it and walked towards the back of the office. "This is Jason Martin's Nothing," she then said, pointing to a slab of concrete at the back, near her desk, that Beca didn't even notice. On it was a pair of shoe prints. If someone asked Beca, she would have assumed that Jackson Martin saw someone step on wet concrete on a street with construction and asked the workers for the slab, cut away the top surface, slapped a stupendously ridiculous fee on it and called it art.

"It's a great statement against capitalism and materialism. You can really feel the artist's disdain on the greed that consumes our world, leaving it behind for a life of simplicity and leaving behind the empty nothingness of such a world."

"Oh, yeah, you can really feel such strong emotions from the piece," Beca agreed.

And just right on cue, Charity's guards unlocked the door to call her aside. Charity excused herself for a moment to talk with them by the door. She looked like she was considering her options before sighing and excusing herself for only a moment, seeing no danger in leaving the lovely couple behind.

But of course, as soon as the door shut and locked behind her, the said lovely couple wasted not time in dropping the act. Chloe fished for a pair of earbuds from her clutch while Beca fished for a flash drive from her pocket and plugged it into a USB port.

"Stacie, you're on," Beca said as soon as her communicator was in, keeping an eye on the door.

The computer came to life as Beca saw files being opened with no time to waste.

"What took you so long?" Stacie then replied from the other end of the line.

For a moment, Beca's thoughts flashed back to the dazzling memory of kissing Chloe Beale. She cleared her throat and pushed it away as best as she could. Now was not the time.

Still, she refused to answer Stacie's question directly, afraid her voice would betray her.

"Never mind that, just focus," was all she said, controlling her tone as best she could and looking away from Chloe.

There will be time from the repercussions of their earlier actions later, once Babel was gone for good.

"Alright then, whatever you say, capo," Stacie replied typing away on her keyboard. "You're up cyclist, what files are we looking for exactly?"

"Let me…" Uni replied, grabbing the mouse from Stacie as his trained eyes glossed over the files. Stacie huffed. She knew he was with them for his background in accounting and tax expertise, things that would come in handy with money laundering and sussing out files for an illegal paper company.

But did he have to be annoying?

Sure, part of her dislike of him was his stupid crush on Aubrey, she was brave enough to admit that. She was confident enough that Aubrey wouldn't look his way, but it still got on her nerves. He didn't have to be all grabby with her equipment too.

"Found them, transferring now," Uni then said as he copied the files. "Can't they copy faster? They don't have much time."

"It's copying as fast as it can," Stacie snapped, grabbing her mouse back.

"Why did I have to be assigned on this team?" she heard Bumper mumble behind them. She and Uni both glared back. "I mean you guys and great and all, but this copy loading time is quite anxiety-inducing," he quickly replied.

"Don't worry, we'll get this done in time," Stacie replied, reassuringly.

Though she wasn't sure if she was actually reassuring Bumper or herself.

Because Bumper was right, the load time made seconds feel like an eternity in the race against the clock in taking Babel down.

They should win an Oscar for their performance, at least Ashley believed they each deserved one. The gallery director looked like she was about to lose her mind with her complaints and Flo's too. The "police" had arrived in the form of Jesse and Jessica, who were bringing in their A-game with their acting chops as well, demanding that they need to go inside the gallery to see the alleged forgery Ashley claimed and to allow Flo to retrieve what she had left behind.

The director, not wanting to get in trouble with the "officials" on their side, relented, and Ashley would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy every minute of the agony Charity experienced and the confusing of the guards at the gallery.

They needed to milk every moment of this. Mostly so that they can buy time for Beca, Chloe, and Stacie's team.

But they might as well milk it for their own enjoyment.

First up was Flo, who was putting all the lessons she had learned from Stacie the past few days, sauntering towards one of the big paintings in the hall near where Beca and Chloe's dinner date was staged.

"Ma'am, where are you going?" Charity asked, exasperated with their antics. "Where is this personal, and rather intimate item you left behind?"

"Over here," Flo replied with a sultry tone as she went over and reached for a gum she stuck on the wall next to the painting. After grabbing it, she examined the gum carefully, Charity watching her with a mix of disgust, confusion, and resignation, before she placed the gum in her mouth and started chewing it again. "Still minty," she then said.

Ashley had to remind herself that she was supposed to be enraged, she can't laugh right now, not at the bewildered expression on the director's face.

It helped that she was feeling rather competitive with Jesse and Jessica, stoic impressions on. "Well, I'm glad it is," Jesse managed to deliver with a straight face on.

"I agree, and chewed gum is one of the most intimate items you can ever leave behind. What with your DNA still on it and everything," Jessica then said, completely serious, before turning her attention to Ashley. "Well, we've proven one claim right. Ma'am if you would show us this painting so we can file a formal complaint at the precinct."

Ashley heard a rather very vocal groan coming from Charity as she rubbed the side of her temples. She looked at the "detective," played by her wife, and then at the director defiantly. "Right over here, detective," she said before marching on with a sense of purpose, fully intending to sell her performance.

The show must go on, after all.

Denise couldn't help but howl with laughter. They were all pretty drunk at that point but Andrea di Marzio was pretty insistent in celebrating his engagement with his now fiancé, Camille Benign. That led to Cynthia Rose ushering them all into her restaurant, and popping open a few bottles of wine.

That then quickly devolved into playing some of their favorite drinking games that felt all too novel to their guests.

Denise was nervous this plan of theirs wouldn't work at first, but she was quite pleased that this was how the night turned out to be.

Here's to hoping for a smooth resolution for all their plans.

"You havegot to be kidding me!" Charity exclaimed, eyes frantic, face full on shock and disbelief.

But Jessica kept her composure.

"Well, I don't know ma'am, it looks to me like it is a forgery," Jessica replied and Jesse nodded along in agreement.

The "forgery" in question was an abstract art made by some French artist of a Giraffe with a bewildered expression on its face. Ashley's eyes flared in anger at the director for insisting that the piece was an original – and to be fair it was – but Ashley had proof that it was an imitation of her piece of a watercolor painting of a cartoon giraffe with the same expression. The resemblance was uncanny from the picture Ashley showed on her phone of her little art project of a few days ago, claiming she made it first and the original artist saw her work of art and copied it.

Charity was completely dumbfounded, and Jessica could only sympathize with her. Except she wasn't exactly innocent here. She was complicit in Babel's many crimes. She should be thankful that she's only getting a bit of minor inconvenience here.

Ashley doubled down on the claim and Jesse made a show of asking both her and the director to accompany them back to the precinct and settle it there. All so that Beca and Chloe would have enough time to get their mission done, and hopefully, when the director goes back to her office and remembers them, it would be complete.

Unfortunately, Charity seemed to start suspecting things at that moment, as she argued with Jesse that she had people left behind in her office and she's been gone for far too long thanks to the ridiculous complaints.

"We can explain things to your guests if –" Jessica started to say, but Charity didn't let her finish.

Instead, she marched right back to her office, ignoring Jesse and Jessica calling back to her.

Jessica could only hope that Beca and Chloe managed to pull off their task with Stacie in time.

"They're heading back," Stacie said through her comms, she's been observing the shenanigans from the gallery's own security cams, the ones that she hacked into.

"Do you need us to buy time?" Beca asked, keeping her cool. It's not like she didn't plan for this. Of course, she had a Plan B.

She just always preferred sticking to Plan A. Only using Plan A always made her proud of herself. It was quite the ego boost.

"Fifteen seconds," was what Stacie gave as a reply.

"For you or us?" Chloe then asked.

But the question was answered by an abrupt opening of the office door. "What is the meaning of this?" Charity demanded more than asked.

"Nothing," Beca replied calmly, running her fingers over the smooth surface of the desk. She saw the files on the screen before her close while Stacie talked over the comms that their task was complete. Beca deftly and stealthily removed the flashdrive with some sleight of hand while responding to Charity's demands. "We were just wondering how sturdy this desk was. We were getting bored and we didn't want to disrespect you by getting busy on your desk."

But Charity didn't buy it. "Guards!" she demanded, and soon enough two of the gallery's guards marched right in.

Chloe was quick to pull out a small but fake handgun in her clutch and Beca managed to pull out her own from her inner jacket pocket, while her other hand pocketed the flash drive. "Now, now, let's not do anything hasty," Beca warned before fishing for a badge in her coat, Chloe did the same, putting her clutch down, one hand still raised with the fake gun to keep their hold on the standoff with the guards. She procured a similar badge.

One that bears their fake identities names with the symbol of the international police on them.

"We're agents from Interpol, working on an undercover assignment about art theft. We've received recent reports of some stolen pieces passing through your gallery," Beca replied. Most was in truth, minus the fact that they were not, in fact, Interpol agents. But Jesse had it handled in case the art gallery director requested actual officials to do confirmation, at least for the next 48 hours. Beca wanted to be sure she had all her bases covered. Criminals like those in Babel have friends in high places after all.

"So, if you don't want things to get messy, maybe you want to be cooperative and back off. Show us where the goods are. We might be able to make you a deal," Chloe then said, fully into her new role.

A look of fear and worry flashed before Charity's eyes as she weighed her options but she soon buckled down Beca's gaze and showed them where the said pieces were.

As they made their way out, Flo, Ashley, Jessica, and Jesse greeted them as if they were official agents working with them in this mission.

Jesse even thanked them with their cooperation and warning them to stay out of trouble.

All in all, and with all the unexpected excitements from the evening, the plan went off without a hitch.

It's in prosecutor Kimmy Jin's hands now.

And yet somehow Beca can't shake off a sinking feeling in her gut.

Something was coming, she just couldn't tell what.

"Alright then," Aubrey replied once Stacie had given her a call to update that they have what they needed. She passed the data drive to Lilly who had then ridden into the night on her motorcycle, on the way to make a drop-off of the damning evidence that would pin Chicago and Babel down once and for all, evidence now being handed over on a silver platter to the Kimmy Jin.

It would all be finally over soon.

Aubrey took a deep breath once she hung up on the call with Stacie and took a minute to compose herself before calling Kimmy Jin to let her know that they were on the move.

Justice would finally be served.

But then why was Aubrey's hands shaking as she reached for her phone?

What was this feeling of nervous trepidation?

It felt too good to be true that this nightmare with Babel was all about to end, and perhaps that's why Aubrey was waiting for another shoe to drop.

Somewhere, deep down, she knew, it will only ever be truly over, when she sees Chicago, Kommissar, and DSM completely beaten with her own eyes.

And she was looking forward to doing just that as she dialed Kimmy Jin's number.

To say that Kimmy Jin didn't look like she was about to have a heart attack when Lilly popped in her home office so stealthily to hand the data drive would be a lie. To that, Lilly was disappointed. She was expecting a bit more competence and a little less easily startled from her boss' chosen ally.

But, Lilly does have to admit, she was impressed to see how quickly she recovered.

Kimmy Jin had just gotten off the phone with Aubrey when she arrived, and only needed a minute to organize her team and work on getting a swift warrant of arrest for Chicago.

Lilly stayed and monitored the situation, as per Beca's instructions, convincing Kimmy Jin she was there in case she needed back up. She didn't argue much against it.

Things kept moving quickly.

Soon, the prosecutor was driving off to her office, and then to the gallery where they heard Chicago was undoubtedly trying to plan his next steps and put out fires. Lilly followed suite, this time keeping a reasonable distance. Kimmy Jin stated she didn't need her as back-up anymore with an arrest team with her, and Lilly agreed. However, that didn't mean she would stop her surveillance.

She followed them after pretending to go on her own way, making sure she wouldn't alert them, using larger vehicles and parallel streets for her route to conceal her presence. She found a branching path that lead to a park in an affluent community with a good view of the gallery. That was where she parked and watched on her binoculars the events that then transpired.

Chicago was promptly handcuffed and escorted out of the gallery, his lawyers all panicking behind him, arguing with Kimmy Jin who didn't seem to pay them any attention. Trailing even further behind was an amused looking Theo.

It finally happened.

There enemy arrested.

But Lilly couldn't shake off the feeling this wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

An ominous cloud still hung above them.

The storm was just about to come.

A/N Pt 2: Bet you guys weren't expecting that smooch, weren't you? I'll try to get the next chapter up within the week and not… uh… a year? Has it been a year? Almost a year since the last update?

UPNEXT: Inzhagi to the rescue?! Heartfelt talks?! And an Imposter Among Us?! aka the payoff to some stuff from the previous chapter.